The take-over of the Nemiroff vodka plant in the city of Nemirov,
Vinnytsia Region in central Ukraine, happened on Wednesday. It
was the latest and arguably most violent development in a
conflict between shareholders of the company, who have been
wrestling for control over the property since 2011.

Footage of the siege of the building showed a large crowd of
people gathering just outside of the factory fence. Among them
were court bailiffs and a group of fully-equipped riot police
officers. Comment heard in the background identify them as the
Grifon unit of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, who are
responsible for giving backup to bailiffs in enforcing court
decisions.

The main actors however were dozens of men, some of them in
civilian clothes, others wearing military uniforms without
insignia and protection gear, who entered the premises. They
proceeded to break glasses in the closed doors of the lobby and
toss multiple gas grenades inside, the footage showed.

Some voices are heard warning to be careful with guns, although
most of the arms the group carry are pipes, clubs and metal
shields. Eventual break-in in accompanies by loud chanting of
“Glory to Ukraine, glory to heroes!” a Ukrainian
nationalist slogan, which became very popular among the
supporters of Maidan protest. At least one person refers to the
assailants as “self-defense” apparently implying that
they are members of the ‘Maidan Self-Defense Force’.

(Video courtesy Yury Basyuk)

Aleksandr Glus, who holds a minority stake in Nemiroff together
with his wife, whose management was ousted from the plant, told
vesti.ua news website that the raid had been in preparation since
at least Tuesday.

“It all started on yesterday evening. Some people started
gathering near the plant. The management was alarmed by the
situation. We called the police, filed complaints with them. But
no reaction followed,” he said.

There were 300 attackers taking over the property, he estimated,
adding that they were “armed ‘titushki’ [Ukrainian term for
hired thugs – RT] mixed with members of the ‘Self-defense’, who
stormed into the plant, wrecking everything in their way.”
He added the plant’s guards could not stop the assailants while
officers of the law witnessing the raid did nothing to stop it.

The majority shareholders, who took control over the plant, have
a different view on the same events.

“By the time the majority shareholders and law enforcement
officers arrived at the scene the plant was taken over by
numerous guards armed with firearms. They rejected the demand to
let legal owners into the territory. Their resistance to the law
enforcers was swiftly suppressed,” they said in a statement,
accusing the Glus family of “vandalizing” the plant.

The conflict between majority shareholders of Nemiroff, Yakov
Gribov and Anatoly Kipish, who own just under 75 percent of the
company, and the Glus family, who own the rest, is about control
over the brand and different facilities of the company and its
subsidiaries in Ukraine and Russia. The battle so far has mostly
been legal, with parties clashing in courts of Ukraine, Russia
and Cyprus, where the main division of the company is registered.

Nemiroff specializes in strong spirits, including vodka and
Ukrainian horilka, and exports alcohol to over 50 countries,
according to the company’s website. As of 2011, it was one of the
top three vodka producers in terms of sale volumes. It was found
by Stepan Glus, Aleksandr’s father.

It’s not clear why civilians were involved in enforcing a court
ruling and whether they were paid for the participation, acted
out of ideological reasons or for merely the thrill of storming
the plant. But armed men acting on murky grounds are obviously a
force playing a major part in conflict over property in post-coup
Ukraine.

The raid on the liquor plant is just one example of chaotic state
and lack of security and proper enforcement in Ukraine at the
moment, reports RT's Marina Kosareva. Earlier there was the
seizure of 50 Kamaz trucks by the radical Right Sector, a night
raid on a Kiev bank, which ended with attackers walking free and
similar incidents.